(upbeat music) (upbeat music fades) - Pioneer Theatre Company closes its current season with the production of "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812."

Director of Marketing and Communications Joshua Black is here to tell us more.

Hi, Joshua.

- Hi, Mary.

- Always good to have you, and I'm very excited for this one.

- I'm so happy to be here.

Thank you.

- Yeah, so this is a big musical.

- This is a big musical, yeah.

This is a musical with a capital M, and it's a big splashy way to end our season, but it's also based on a big novel, Tolstoy's "War and Peace."

But it's actually an 80-page section of it, and I don't want anyone to be deterred when they hear "War and Peace."

This is a very fantastical, electro-pop musical.

It was on Broadway about 10 years ago with Josh Groban, but we have onstage musicians and a fantastic scenic design, and it is a spectacle to behold.

- Okay, and it's like the 80 pages of "War and Peace" that are scandalous - Yeah, it is a little scandalous.

It has to do with one of the main characters, Natasha, and her fiance Andre is off fighting in the war.

And it's about what she gets up to in Moscow in his absence.

This segment is nowhere near long enough to tell you more about the plot.

Just know that it will be a feast for the eyes and ears, yeah.

- Yeah, and I mean, it sounds great.

And who are you bringing in to play these roles?

- Well, we have in the leads, as Natasha, we have Ali Ewoldt.

She's making her PTC debut.

She was Christine in "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway and Cosette in "Les Miserables."

So she's a little talented, as you can tell.

(Mary and Joshua laugh) And then Kevin Earley plays Pierre.

He was Sweeney Todd in our "Sweeney Todd."

He also has a lot of Broadway credits.

We have a host of other amazing actors who also have Broadway credits from out of town.

And then, of course, we have some really great locals, Mary Fanning Driggs and Ginger Bess.

They were both in other productions this season, and they're both in in key roles as well.

- Okay, it sounds like a smashing way to end the season.

- Oh, it's gonna be so great.

- All right, thanks, Joshua.

- Thanks for having me.

- Thanks.

And if you'd like to know more about that big season finale of Pioneer Theatre, "Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812" runs May 10th through 25th.

Go to pioneertheatre.org, pioneertheatre.org.

(upbeat music) I'm Mary Dickson.

Thanks for watching "Contact."

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